MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, FLA. (WSVN) - An aviation expert weighed in on what he believes went wrong during the crash landing of an Amazon cargo plane at Miami International Airport.
Members of the National Transportation Safety Board’s “Go Team” are on the ground to try to answer the central question in the Prime Air Cargo jet crash: what caused it to skid off a runway at MIA, Sunday afternoon.
The Boeing 767-300 slammed into two vehicles, one on airport property and one on Northwest 67th Street, just off the property, Sunday afternoon, investigators said.
As the NTSB examines the conditions and decisions that may have led to the deadly crash, aviation lawyer Robert Clifford said pilot error might be to blame.
“These pilots chose to attempt this landing with tailwinds, as distinguished from going into the headwind. That phenomenon adds speed, and it adds a lot of difficulty to the ability to control the plane on landing,” he said.
Clifford is a trial lawyer in commercial aviation disasters who has worked with cases since 1979.
From his vantage point, pilot error appeared to be a likely cause.
“Here it’s inexplicable to me that these pilots ate up so much runway to try to make their intial touchdown,” said Clifford.
Another question is whether the Engineered Materials Arresting System might have helped in any way.
The Federal Aviation Administration showed how a plane’s tires sink into the lightweight, crushable material placed at the end of a runway, which slows down and eventually stops the aircraft.
The NTSB chair said 72 airports in the U.S. have it.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava cited FAA regulations, which meant MIA was not required to have it, but she said she would consider it.
“We know it’s not a requirement, and we’re following regulations, but we’re certainly interested to learn more and so we can do everything for safety,” she said.
According to aviation experts, investigators will seek to determine exactly where the plane landed, if it was beyond the normal touchdown zone, and why the pilots did not abandon the landing and circle back for another attempt.
Investigators will also examine the plane’s speed and braking, weather and wind conditions, the aircraft’s mechanical condition and other factors that could have contributed to the deadly overrun.
“I think we learned one of the legacies of these disasters is that we learn from them,” said Levine Cava.
In a statement released Monday night, Levine Cava said the county would evaluate any safety recommendations from investigators.
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